Hopefully most of you don't rely on Big Lots for your cable. At the end of March 2012, UL issued a public warning about the unauthorized use of the UL® mark on packages of CAT5e and USB patch cable. In the warning, UL states that “The products bear an unauthorized UL Mark on the product packaging. The products have not been evaluated by UL to the applicable Standard for Safety and it is unknown if they comply with the UL safety requirements. ”

The cables listed in the notices are TriQuest 15-foot CAT5e patch cable, model number 60-0102, and TriQuest 10-foot USB 2.0 patch cable, model number 60-0302. The notice reports that the CAT5e cables first went into production in March 2010 and that 124,300 units were produced. The USB cables went into production in February 2010 and 95,120 units were produced. The cables are manufactured by Sela Products, LLC, and they are made in China.

The back of the cable packages is marked with the UL mark in a circle and the words UL Approved. They are not approved, and the use of the UL mark is fraudulent.

You can see photos of the cables and read the notice at the UL Website.

When most people think of counterfeit and substandard cable, they think of bulk cable and their backbone and horizontal runs. But don’t underestimate the importance of patch cables in your channel. Patch cables are the most overlooked component of the Channel Link. Remember the saying, “A chain is only a strong as its weakest link?” The same principle applies to the Channel Link. If a patch cable is non-compliant, it can ruin expensive electronics, invalidate warranties, cause poor network performance, and lead to a loss in productivity. Risky business.

The CCCA did large-scale performance testing of Category 6 copper patch cords. Test results showed an 85% failure rate in cables produced offshore by companies who are largely unknown in North America. 78% of the failing samples failed NEXT tests by a margin of 3 dB or more. A second sample set of Category 6 copper patch cords produced by multiple, well-recognized manufacturers was also tested and showed a 0% failure rate.

Other patch cord issues include non-compliant plugs that don't meet requirements. Problems can include substandard gold plating on the contacts, plating that erodes and corrodes, and contact spacing and dimensional issues that can cause intermittent connections and link loss. If you have poor network performance, the cost to identify the problem and to replace all your patch cables could be quite expensive indeed.

How can you spot substandard patch cable?

Patch cables are usually not supplied by the structured cabling installer but instead they're often purchased by someone in the IT department, who frequently buys them on-line based on price. Just because a cable is advertised as CAT6, it doesn’t mean it’s compliant. Your first tip-off that a cable is substandard is price. If it’s significantly less than what you would expect to pay at Black Box (or any other brand-name manufacturer), it's probably counterfeit. In a recent sampling of patch cable on the Web, we found significant differences in prices. For a 3-foot CAT5e cable, our suspect cable came in at $.85 as compared to $5.45 for our premium GigaBase® cable. For CAT6 cable, we found a 3-foot cable priced at $1.10 as compared to $9.45 for our premium GigaTrue® cable. These low prices are a serious indication the cable is substandard.

Another way to check for inferior cable is to smell it. Some non-compliant cables have a plasticizer issue with the jacketing, which can produce a bad odor. See if the cable feels oily or too stiff. Both are indicators of counterfeit cable. Check the modular plug. It should be intact and not cracked. It should also be made for a fire-resistant plastic. To test this, put a lighter to the clip. If it catches fire and does not self-extinguish, it is substandard. The gold contacts should not be too shiny. Often substandard contacts appear shinier than true gold contacts. Lastly, check the boot to make sure it is not pinching or crushing the cable.

1. UL® number and hologram: None, fake, or illegitimate. If there is no UL® number or hologram, that's an instant tip-off. Even if there is a number or hologram, you can look up the cable on-line at UL® to see if it's verified. Sometimes, even if there is a legit UL® number, it's possible that it was copied from "good" cable. UL also posts alerts on unauthorized numbers on its website.

2. ETL logos. Counterfeiters use them whether they are earned or not. Ask the seller for the ETL test results. You can also check the ETL website for a directory of verified cables.

3. Printing/Legend. Is the printing poorly done on the box and the cable? Are there any typographical or grammatical errors?  Check the UL® logo. It should have the letters UL arranged diagonally (descending left to right) with a circle with a small ® symbol directly below the U. Does the cable legend also have the proper markings?

4. Color. Does the color match previously bought cable?

5. Jacket/construction. Does the cable look like previously purchased cable? Are the conductors straight or oddly "twisty"? Does the jacket feel like a riser or plenum cable? Use a magnet to check that you're getting copper conductors instead of aluminum conductors. Just cut a few pieces of cable and see if a magnet picks them up. If it does, your cable is copper, not aluminum.

6. Weight. If the cable box/spool feels light, compare its weight to cable you know performs up to standard. Counterfeit cable and substandard cable often have undersized copper conductors or copper-clad aluminum conductors that weigh half as much as genuine cable.

One of the hottest topics during the past year has been the legal wrangling over counterfeit cable. Last year, Anixter sued Commodity Cables, Inc. The suit alleges that Commodity Cables sold substandard off-shore-manufactured cable that did not meet flame- and fire-resistance standards established by UL® and the National Fire Protection Association. Some of the cable in question was marked as being UL® certified or ETL Verified. Anixter is seeking $1 million in damages plus punitive damages for false advertising, unfair competition, breach of contact, and deceptive trade practices.

The basis of the suit stems from when Anixter said it discovered numerous boxes of cable with apparently fraudulent UL marks. Anixter sent the cables to UL for burn testing, which they failed. In December 2010, Anixter recalled all its Commodity Cables products from customers. Anixter has also worked with many customers to remove and replace the substandard cable.

In June 2011, Commodity Cables countersued Anixter. The counterclaim is a defamation allegation.

More information on the history of the suits can be found at Cabling, Installation & Maintenance. Or, read more about how to avoid unsafe, unapproved, or counterfeit cable.